| Then he added, “Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: ‘I want you to show mercy, not offer sacrifices.’ For I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners.” | Go and learn what this text means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I have come to call not the righteous but sinners. |
| Let your favor shine on your servant. In your unfailing love, rescue me. | Let your face shine upon your servant; save me in your kindness. |
| Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants. | Let my teaching fall down like rain, and my words descend like the dew. Like rain upon the sprouts, and like showers upon the grass. |
| Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it. | Train a child in the way he should go, and he will not deviate from it, even in old age. |
| So let us stop going over the basic teachings about Christ again and again. Let us go on instead and become mature in our understanding. Surely we don’t need to start again with the fundamental importance of repenting from evil deeds and placing our faith in God. You don’t need further instruction about baptisms, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. | Therefore, let us leave behind the basic teaching about Christ and advance toward maturity. We must not be forever laying the foundation: repentance for actions that lead to death, faith in God, instruction about baptisms and the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. |
| Let me hear of your unfailing love each morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I give myself to you. | At dawn let me experience your kindness, for in you I place my trust. Show me the path I must walk, for to you I lift up my soul. |
| Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart. | The whispers of a gossiper are tasty morsels that corrode one’s inner being. |
| So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clearheaded. | So we must not fall asleep as the others do, but we must stay alert and sober. |
| If another believer sins against you, go privately and point out the offense. If the other person listens and confesses it, you have won that person back. | If your brother wrongs you, go and take up the matter with him when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. |
| This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. | I have given you a command. Be strong and brave, do not be afraid nor dismayed. I, the Lord, your God, will be with you wherever you go. |
| Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. | Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze on what lies before you. |
| Jesus told him, “If you want to be perfect, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” | Jesus replied, “If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” |
| Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. | Let us remain firm in the confession of our hope without wavering, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. |
| He will not let you stumble; the one who watches over you will not slumber. | He will not permit your foot to stumble; he who guards you will not fall asleep. |
| Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens! May your glory shine over all the earth. | Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let your glory shine over all the earth. |
| And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. | And let the peace of Christ reign in your hearts, because it was for this that you were called together in one body. Always be thankful. |
| So let us do our best to enter that rest. But if we disobey God, as the people of Israel did, we will fall. | Let us then make every effort to enter into that rest, so that no one may fall by following that example of refusing to believe. |
| Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God. | Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God. Everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. |
| Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. | Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that weighs us down and the sins that so easily distract us and with perseverance run the race that lies ahead of us. |
| And do everything with love. | Everything that you do should be done in love. |
| Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. | Rather, let justice flow like a river, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. |
| You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. | You did not choose me. Rather, I chose you. And I appointed you to go out and bear fruit, fruit that will remain, so that the Father may give you whatever you ask him in my name. |
| Let those who are wise understand these things. Let those with discernment listen carefully. The paths of the Lord are true and right, and righteous people live by walking in them. But in those paths sinners stumble and fall. | Let those who are wise understand these words, and let the prudent acknowledge them. For straight are the ways of the Lord; the upright walk in them, but sinners stumble. |
| Go back to Hezekiah, the leader of my people. Tell him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of your ancestor David, says: I have heard your prayer and seen your tears. I will heal you, and three days from now you will get out of bed and go to the Temple of the Lord.’ | Return and tell Hezekiah, the leader of my people: Thus says the Lord, the God of David, your father: I have heard, I have seen your tears. I will heal you today, and the day after tomorrow you will go up to the temple of the Lord. |
| Guide my steps by your word, so I will not be overcome by evil. | Guide my steps in accord with your word and never let evil triumph over me. |
Related topics
Righteousness
Whoever pursues righteousness and...
Love
Love is patient and...
Sin
Don’t you realize that...
Reliability
But the Lord is...
Repentance
Then if my people...
Trust
Trust in the LORD...